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By Charles M. Phipps on May 5th, 2015
With the Supreme Court decision over the homosexual marriage issue expected next month, it could potentially be a landmark decision. The Justices have said their decision will rest on these questions:
Is marriage based on biology or feelings? Who should decide whether to redefine an institution that stretches back for “millennia”? If justices begin tampering with the historically exclusive definition of marriage as the lifelong union of a man and a woman, what would prevent future courts from imposing polygamy, incest or pedophilia-based marriage on the nation?
Justice Scalia noted that if the Court rules that homosexual marriage is a constitutional right, then pastors, rabbis, priests and imams will be forced to perform such ceremonies or face state penalties.
Lifesite – Justice Scalia repeatedly suggested that once a constitutional right to marry by same-sex couples was enshrined by the court, a member of the clergy could not be given civil marriage powers by the state unless he agreed to perform […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on September 25th, 2013
Four Christian universities in Oklahoma are the latest to file a lawsuit against the Obama administration over the health care mandate that forces employers to provide health insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraception, regardless of the religious or moral convictions of the employer. Southern Nazarene University, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Oklahoma Baptist University and Mid-America Christian University filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma last Friday. The Christian Post has the full story.
“Christian colleges should remain free to operate according to the beliefs that define them,” the group’s Senior Counsel, Gregory S. Baylor, said. “This mandate leaves religious employers with no real choice: you must either comply and abandon your religious freedom and conscience, or resist and be taxed for your faith. If religious convictions mean nothing in this context, there is no stopping what the government can ultimately do.”
The suit challenging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on September 24th, 2013
Being a far right-wing person I have always been very pro law & order and believe that those who violate our laws should pay the consequences. More often than not I have found myself thinking that our criminal justice system is not harsh enough. But, it is the system we have and I would not trade it for any other in the world. One of the cornerstones of our system is supposed to be the impartiality of the justice that is dispensed. Without impartiality, can the punishments meted out still be considered just? Sometimes, no.
The impartiality of the justice system is supposed to begin on the street with law enforcement personnel. When their motives for enforcing the law become tainted by profit, anything that happens to the accused after that should be immediately suspect. Case in point. Here in Oklahoma, Caddo County District Attorney Jason Hicks signed a contract with Desert Snow LLC, a Guthrie Oklahoma based company, to […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on September 17th, 2013
Newly registered voters in Oklahoma have been largely registering as independents. Since the state Election Board purged 145,294 inactive voters earlier this year there have been 4,582 new registrations as independents. Republicans have added 1,544 voters but the Democrats have lost 3,306 voters.
The differing opinions on the reasons for the change are interesting to note. Dave Weston, Oklahoma State Republican Party chairman said the increase in independent registrations reflects Democrats who feel disenfranchised. Wallace Collins, Oklahoma Democrat Party chairman said he wasn’t certain about the reason for the registration trends. Mr. Collins doesn’t seem to be able to achieve any success for the Democrats in Oklahoma. Even though the Democrats have a 887,724 to 850,854 lead over registered Republican voters the Republicans hold every statewide elected office, a huge majority in both houses of the state legislature and every seat in Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation. Well done, Mr. Collins!
But back to the independents. Since the year 2000 independent voter […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on June 26th, 2013
An unsigned opinion piece in The Oklahoman favors allowing illegal immigrants to attend college in Oklahoma at in-state tuition rates. The editorial refers to them five times as ‘undocumented’ but that is just a euphemism for illegal, which is what they are. The editorial takes the position that children “whose parents brought them into the United States illegally shouldn’t bear the legal or financial burden of that decision.”
Also from the editorial: “Fewer than 500 undocumented students attend Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities. Not surprisingly, the school with the highest number of these students is Oklahoma City Community College, with 163. OCCC is in southwest Oklahoma City where many Hispanic families have settled in recent years. Tuition is low at OCCC and other two-year schools compared with four-year schools. Tulsa Community College, also a two-year school, reported the second-highest number of undocumented students, with 94.”
If they have exact numbers on all this then it is obviously known who these […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on May 19th, 2013
In a piece of great news for Oklahoma Republicans this weekend, Wallace Collins was reelected chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. Collins was first elected to the position in 2011 and Oklahoma Democrats have taken a beating ever since, even from their own chairman.
Since Collins became chairman, Democrats have lost every statewide elected office, lost seats in the state House and the Senate, Obama failed to win a single county in the presidential election and the lone Democrat-held Congressional seat is now occupied by a Republican.
In the Oklahoma presidential primary in 2012, President Obama lost fifteen counties to two other Democrats, one a publicity-seeking antiabortionist. After the results came in, Collins said, “Racism is alive and well in Oklahoma.” Apparently, someone forgot to remind Collins that Oklahoma has closed primaries and any ‘racism’ was confined to his own Democratic party.
Also during the 2012 presidential election cycle Collins made remarks comparing the Tea Party to a domestic […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on May 18th, 2013
I don’t agree with much at all of what the Oklahoma Policy Institute puts out, but their information about the recent tax cut legislation passed by the Oklahoma legislature and signed into law by Governor Fallin is right on the money. Opinions about policy can vary, but numbers don’t lie.
I’ve looked at the new tax rates in House Bill 2032 and I’ve run the numbers against the tax rates in this year’s form 511 – the Oklahoma individual income tax form. What the numbers tell me is that the things being said by Governor Fallin, Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon and others are highly misleading. Do you think you’re getting a tax cut? Unless you’re on the poverty level, you are, but let’s see how much.
Below is a chart from the OK Policy Institute’s post about the tax cut. It’s accurate. As you can see, if you make between $19,500 and $36,400 your tax cut is […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on April 21st, 2012
The White House denied Gov. Mary Fallin’s request for assistance to aid individuals and businesses in Woodward County that were hard hit by last weekend’s deadly tornado. Fallin said she is disappointed in the decision but that the state is continuing to work to bring assistance to those impacted by the storm. She announced late Friday that the state will now request a disaster declaration for Woodward County through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Read more: http://www.koco.com/news/30931797/detail.html#ixzz1sdREUN2V
This is what happens to your state when Obama loses fourteen of your counties in his own Democratic primary.
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